Sewer cleansing alarm



May 23, 1961 o. A. HAMILTON SEWER CLEANSING ALARM 2 Sheets-Shem: 1

Filed March 15, 1960 r [ii 005; L rib mm; ro/v INVENTOR ATTORNEYS y 23, 1961 o. A. HAMILTON 2,985,187

SEWER CLEANSING ALARM Filed March 15. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 P l EMT (9 (D O 0 I l /3 ODELL fif/AM/L TON Q) INVENTOR 30 BY /1 1 v I;

3/ "MWx n. ATTORNEYS.

SEWER CLEANSING ALARM Odell A. Hamilton, 4214 Chestnut, Kansas City, Mo.

Filed Mar. 15, 1960, Ser. No. 15,226

4 Claims. (Cl. 137-242) This invention relates to alarms, and more particularly to alarms used in sewer pipes to give advance warning of the sewer being stopped up to such a point that it will cause damage to surrounding property.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a sewer cleansing alarm constructed so as to prevent the collection of grease in the entrance of the house trap and thus block the flow of waste material in the pipe.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sewer cleansing alarm that can be used as a tool to retrieve any foreign object from the sewer pipe, such as a rag or the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sewer cleansing alarm with an electrically produced audible signal located at any desired place, which can be turned off until its cause of operation, the blocking of a sewer pipe with waste material, has been corrected.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a sewer cleansing alarm that can be installed permanently in a sewer system without interfering with the normal operation of the same.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and intent of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a side view of a typical installation of this invention in a house trap with part of the pipe in section to more clearly show the device. The audible alarm, switch and wiring are not shown in this view.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a wiring diagram of the electric alarm portion of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the housing of this invention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Having reference now to the drawings in detail, and in particular to Fig. 2, there is generally indicated by the reference character 10 a tubular housing having a plurality of openings 10 in both radial and lateral spaced relation to each other around its periphery and a closed lower end 11 with a centrally located opening 12. A plurality of prongs 13 is secured to the aforesaid lower end which, as can readily be seen from examination of Fig. 2 of the drawings, is flat when viewed from the side. The stated prongs 13 are in radial spaced relation nited States Patent 0 "ice sage 15 throughout its entire length is now placed within I the tubular housing 10. This float normally rests on top of the aforementioned prongs 13 of the closed end 11.

A rod 16 having a hooked upper end 17 is secured to the top of and to the side of the stated float 14. The rod is given vertical stability by means of a guide member 18 which is secured to the wall of the aforementioned housin 10.

The hooked upper end 17 of the rod passes through opening 19 in the side of the lever plate 20 which is hingedly secured to the wall of the housing 10. A mercury switch 21 is secured by a pair of clips 22 to the upper surface of the previously mentioned lever plate 20, the switch being so located on the aforesaid lever plate as not to interfere with the cleaning rod 23 that passes downwardly through a centrally located opening 24 in the aforesaid lever plate 20 and down through the passage 15 in the hollow float 14. This passage 15 1s actually the inside of a tube 25 placed within the center of float 14, the ends of the tube and the ends of the float being secured together to form a watertight seal.

it is now obvious from the foregoing statements as well as from examination of Fig. 2 of the drawings that the float 14 will ride up and down on the cleaning rod 23 whose lower end extends through the opening 12 in the aforesaid closed lower end 11 of the tubular housing 10. A washer 26 acting as a separator is placed over the end of the rod which projects through an opening in the center of the flat top 27 of the cleaner, and then has a head 29 formed on its end as can also be seen in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

The rod 23 has its head 29 secured to the aforesaid cleaner 28 as above described. The cleaner embodies not only the top 27 which is actually a round flat plate, but a side 30 having saw teeth 31, for a purpose to be described later on in this specification.

The top of the tubular housing 10 is fitted in and secured to the hollow cap 32 which has external threads 33 and an upwardly extending protrusion 34 terminating in a flat top 35 having a centrally located tapered openin for reception of the tapered portion 36 of the cleaning rod 23 which, now having its diameter decreased, extends upwardly to a desired point of termination where a handle 37 is removably secured thereto.

That portion of the cleaning rod 23 that extends just beyond the aforementioned flat top 35 of the extending protrusion of the cap has an elongated opening in which a tapered flat pin 38 is inserted in order to prevent the cleaning rod 23 from dropping down and the handle 37 striking against the aforesaid cap 32.

It may be well to state at this time that the cap 32 has an opening for the electric cable 39 that contains two wires connecting the mercury switch 22 with the audible alarm 40 and the manually operated switch 41 with the source of electricity.

A relief vent pipe 42 has one of its ends threaded in the top of the aforementioned hollow cap 32.

This sewer cleaning alarm which has just been described, is threadably secured in the threaded opening of a casting 43 by means of the thread 33 of the stated cap 32. This casting 43 is adapted to be held by a ledge within a pipe 44 that in turn is fitted to a house trap 45 in a sewer system.

The operation of this sewer cleaning alarm is obvious to anyone having knowledge of sewer systems and needs but little additional description, since it is clear from examination of Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings that when the device is placed in the pipe of the sewer system asjust described, when the sewage backs up in the system due to clogging of the same, the water will enter the tubula; housing through openingslt) and the float 14 will rise, forcing the lever plate upward to a horizontal position whereby the mercury switch 21 mounted on the plate will close and thus cause the audible alarm 40 to sound off indicating that the sewer pipes are clogged up.

when the deviceis placed. in a house trap 45. and the trap. becomes clogged with grease. orthelike, thetapered flattpin 38rnay be removed from. the. opening in the cleaning rod 23 and the handle 37 towhich it is secured rotated, thus rotating and literally cutting or. sawing the grease or other obstruction away by the action of the saw teeth 31 of the cleaner 28 on the grease or the like. The depth to which the cleaner will go beyond the bottom of the housing 10 will of course depend on the length of the cleaning rod 23.

Once the grease, dirt or other foreign matterhas been cut loose from the. pipe, it is an easy matter. to unscrew theentire device from thecasing 43 and removethe obj ictionable. material with a retrieving tool another. in strument.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that. there is herein provided a sewer cleansing alarm which accomplishes all of the objects of this invention, and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance. For example, it may be desired to place a plurality of these devices in a sewer systerm a number of feet apart in order. to keep accurate control over the entire sewer system that may be under a particular building such as the basement of a building in which valuable merchandise is stored. The audible alarm 49 may be replaced or supplemented by a visual signal. or a recording device.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as many modifications may be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described, it will be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim 1. A sewer cleansing alarm comprising a tubular I ing when said sewer cleansing alarm is removably adapted to a sewer system, and a device secured to the bottom of said cleaning rod for cutting out any obstruction in the pipe in which said alarm is mounted.

2. The subject matter as claimed in claim 1 with said mechanism embodying a lever plate freely surrounding said cleaning rod, said lever plate being hingedly secured to the inside of said tubular housing and above said float to which it is connected by a'vertical rod diametrically opposite its hinge, and a mercury switch removably secured to the top of said lever plate, said switch automatically operating said alarm when said lever plate is moved upwardly by said float and said vertical rod to which it is connected.

3. A sewer cleansing alarm comprising a tubular housing having a plurality of openings therein and a closed lower end, a cleaning rod extending longitudinally through said housing and out the bottom and top of said housing, a ,floatwithin said housing, said rod passing through the. longitudinal center of said float, mechanism connecting, said float with an electrical alarm whereby said alarm will automatically operate when said float rides upwardly on said cleaning rod as water enters said tubular, housing through said openings in. said housing when said sewer cleansing alarm is removably adapted to a sewer system, and a cleaner comprising a circular flat top having its edge turned downwardly to form a side with sawv teeth for cutting out grease and any other obstructions in the. sewer pipe, said cleaner being firmly adapted to the end of said cleaning rod and held in vertical spaced relation to said sewer cleansing alarm by means of a washer on the end of said cleaning rod and between said. cleaner and the closed lower end of said alarm.

4. The subject matter as claimed in claim 3 with said cleaning, rod, having an elongated opening therein, said opening being located just above the top of the protrusion of the hollow housing adapted to the upper end of said tubular housing, and a removable tapered flat pin extending through said elongated opening to hold said cleaning rod in normal position when the device is to be used only as an alarm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

